The Caribou Migration in Gates of the Arctic Natiional Park
Late each summer hundreds of thousands of Caribou begin their annual fall migration from the far northern coastal plains of the state and start to move generally southward. This migration will carry the caribou one hundred to three hundred miles south into the area south of the Brooks Range, in the vicinity of Arctic Village, Alaska, and into the southern Richardson and Ogilvie mountains in the Yukon Territory. The caribou continue to lay on fat as they move south; the males will need energy reserves for the rut and all will need it during the winter. At this time, the bulls are shedding the velvet from their antlers and rubbing them against trees and shrubs. The bulls are also becoming increasingly aggressive, engaging in brief sparring matches.
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